5th Annual Savannah River Fire Festival held Saturday

GUYTON, Ga. (WTOC) - Families in Guyton gathered Saturday to learn more about controlled burns and low intensity fires that improved the health of our ecosystem.

The Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the University of Georgia Extension, hosted it’s fifth annual Savannah River Fire Festival.

The free and family-friendly event aims to educate the community on the importance of prescribed fires and maintaining healthy forests.

“We’ve had about 300 people here so far today, and our goal here today is to educate people on prescribed burns and why they’re so important for our forests, our wildlife and our community. We have a live burn going on today and over 20 exhibitors here educating the public too,” said Alyx Hawes, Outreach Program Coordinator, Mary Kahrs Warnell Forest Education Center.

In addition to the live burn demonstration, there were guided hikes, live animals, and food trucks.